see some other part of it and realized everything you thought. i'm tom harpur welcome to the big picture. at eight pm moscow time president vladimir putin says america's poor human rights record means it can lecture others response to washington's decision to sanction russian. also the sanju dramatic leaks or a launch of a political career well during. the christmas address from the safety of ecuador's london embassy following that once in our. time magazine named barack obama person of the year for a second time but critics say the u.s. president he says take stronger action on issues such as gun control.

in a very good evening she live from the new center kevin. as america's human rights record citing indefinite detention and sanctioned torture in overseas prisons while speaking to journalists the president defended moscow's response to washington's decision to sanction russian officials. listen to what president putin had to say. the brotherhood slammed the money needs to pass recently by american lawmakers saying that it's a continuation of a series of anti russian laws like the jackson venue which was abolished recently and says that the us as a country which is still uses prisons like i will agree will go on to animal world . and on a daily basis has no rights to criticize the human rights situation in russia and

our us partners and their lawmakers say they are concerned marketers and their lawmakers resins that's fine of course but there are plenty of issues they have themselves abu ghraib and guantanamo where for years people have been detained without charge it's inconceivable prisoners walk around in chains like in the middle ages they've legalized torture inside their own country if something like that happened here it would cause an international outcry but it all remains quiet in the us. we've heard plenty of promises to close guantanamo but it's still there it's still operating maybe there is still torture going on there are secret cia prisons has anyone been brought to account and they're pointing at our problems well thank you we're aware of that making this the ground for passing anti russian laws it's something absurd and we have

a no way provoked such action russian lawmakers are currently working on what they say will be a proportionate response to the money ski act and part of the plan is to introduce a ban for americans to adopt russian children. this has been causing quite a lot of debate in russia and the president has commented on that saying that adoption and the problem with it is that citing in the cases of abuse of russian children adopted by american foster parents of but the lack of a proper legal reaction from american authorities to prevent them from reoccurring including the lack of serious punishments in light of the n.t. government protests which have been continuing for around a year now the president was also asked a question implying that he's managed to build an author retain a regime in the country during his time in power let's listen to the president's reply. i believe that we've provided stability which is the perec was it for the development of our country i believe it's

a very important thing but i wouldn't call it authoritarian i can't agree with such an opinion but the most prominent example that proves my point was my decision to take to the sidelines after two terms as president if i thought that to told terry and or authoritarian systems would be the most preferable for our country i just changed the constitution another issue touched upon at the conference was russia's stance on the carpet in syria the president stressed to once again that moscow does not support president assad's regime but it also doesn't want to see syria drown in care os and a civil war for the next two years you know which and says it's only up to the syrian people to decide what sort of a political future they want and they want to see in control of their country. you know we're not concerned about the feet of assad's regime we understand what's going on there the family has been in power for forty years and undoubtedly there's

demand for change but we're concerned about what happens next in the country we just don't want ongoing strife between today's opposition if it takes power and the current government if they become the opposition this can't go on forever no no i don't know which is also denied speculation that he's been experiencing some problems with his health and has also answered a question which is bothering millions of people right now about the end of the world well the russian presence as you know when the world will end according to him it will happen in a few billion years one of the sun stop shining some of these are some of the more serious and less serious issues touched upon at the conference which lasted around four and a half hours continuing the president's tradition of these extended press and included over twelve hundred journalists from different parts of russia and from abroad. to go piskun off. the man of the front line of the information battle wiki

leaks editor julian the sun just to give a christmas address show a couple of hours' time in fact see set to deliver the speech from the balcony of the ecuadorian embassy in london where he's been ensconced for six months after being granted political asylum as much anticipation as to what science is going to have to say later on tonight. reports now that on possible topics of his address. later on thursday julian assange she is doing something which is usually reserved for heads of state queens the pope people like that he's giving a christmas message from the balcony of the ecuadorian embassy where he's been holed up for the last six months and in fact this speech will mark his six month anniversary inside the ecuadorian embassy now the last time i saw it appeared in public it was back in august and he had to organize a kind of a rally around the embassy so speeches by politicians and other supporters as a kind of a cannibal atmosphere was balloons and all that kind of thing and then he came on

and made his speech and he made a couple of important points one of which was to urge the u.s. to end what he calls the witch hunt against wiki leaks and he also called for the release of bradley manning who is of course being held. on trial in the u.s. accused of leaking classified documents to wiki leaks so those are two things that he may mention again when he talks later on thursday he also may talk about his most recent bid to run for the senate in the two thousand and thirteen australian federal elections he's made that announcement and he's said that wiki leaks is setting up a political party for which. advanced and they have received significant support from notable australians he says that that party is designed to promote openness in government and politics and also to combat growing intrusions on individual privacy one of the things i learnt during the interview that he gave

me a couple of weeks ago was that julian a father is increasingly unwilling to talk about his personal situation he prefers to stick to the wider issues and so that is why one of the things he may talk about would be the continuing blockade of wiki leaks by a visa master card and pay pal that's a case that's ongoing at the moment and also a possible further leak that he mentioned to me they're talking about leaking more documents in the new year watch this space he said absolutely laura smith reporting there first of all a battle for transparency has long been a struggle for wiki leaks with the ongoing investigation in the us on a block on donations by credit card companies but a spokesperson for the whistle blowing web site kristen half percent told me the fight is set to continue. well we know about the ongoing. investigation of the secret grand jury you know sandra and jr there is. an ongoing attempt to find an

angle to bring charges against julian and possibly all those working for we can use as a very serious matter of course very shameful for the obama administration not to stop work for the man who was right even taken four years ago to increase transparency and what we have seen is. the opposite witch hunt against whistleblowers. first person history will continue our work as we have done despite the difficult situation that has been in the ecuadorian embassy you know for six months but probably it was their house arrest that hasn't stopped us we have continued our work. the economic blockade has not stopped us either even though we are getting into a dire situation financially but that's a battle that we have decided to we're told it will all out war and i'm sure we'll have a victory there as well in the new year. coming every cent i live on our team moscow

israel ignores calls from western powers by pressing ahead with plans to build more settlements in the occupied territory will examine all of these defined plans in the west bank bill bit later in the program catalonia to agree now to hold a referendum on breaking away from speight despite betrayed by and to stop the region from going alone just a couple of the stories right after this break. looking at some dogs you simply do not believe they can speak and good nice how they can wrong oh oh it's an international sled dog race with those driving the dogs. coming from as far away as australia canada and the us. yes i come to russia and everybody is so very friendly they welcomed me with open arms and the scenery is so beautiful it's very much like alaska and so i felt at home

the first sled dog was brought here from australia now australia has come to this remote russian village to take part in the race it's not surprising they love it this trail are amazing but even more amazing is the story of how racing first started here atoll it wasn't the tough mushers off sled dog racing who set the trail ablaze but a nun and for all friends who brought that here to life five years ago care about bill to dog kennel in the village kids from the local open h. came around to take care of the dogs and one day they state their life might seem extreme to some the boys wake up at six to feed the dogs before school in the evening they spend up to three hours training their full legged friends but smother her scare also encourages her kids to become depth hands on the computer and internet the boys who regularly update their website and they're in touch with the

busy mother twenty four seven on the phone if someone but children are the most important thing my only interests not play any rule any more and regardless of whether parsky has huskies window race or not she hopes the competition will take place in the village next year. but called these dogs and the children it really is not the weaning but truly just the taking part that counts. ok walkabout watching r.t. . the u.k. has revealed the staggering cost of its involvement in the war in afghanistan more than seventeen billion pounds and as britain prepares to withdraw its troops the defense secretary says the final price tag could be around twenty billion all this

of course coming amid public spending cuts in an effort to reduce the country's budget deficit polyploid hear reports. evanson billion pounds the british government has just revealed that that's been the cost of the so far eleven year war in afghanistan now it was a very deal that the same time as a clear timetable was announced for troop withdrawal from the region we're going to have u.k. troops slashed by about a half by the end of next year down to five thousand two hundred and then another large chunks of troops are leaving by the end of twenty fourteen but it's those seventeen billion pounds that are being spent that have been spent on it for the war on top of the existing defense budget which means the estimates for the final price tag for the afghan war might be something around twenty billion pounds and of course the u.k. is going to keep sending money to afghanistan after twenty fourteen they're going to be sending something like seventeen million pounds for aid towards the afghan

national security forces after twenty fourteen and this is all at the same time as the government is announcing prolonged austerity at home that's going to continue until at least twenty seven hundred twenty eighteen and the chancellor announcing that there's going to sleep extra welfare cuts and an extra ten billion pounds slashed from the welfare budget along with cuts in every single other government department now i'm joined by john hillery who is the executive director of antipoverty charity more on point seventeen billion pounds down the line about money have been better spent elsewhere you could hardly really think of any worse way of spending the money as you say if you pointed out here in britain we're seeing enormous cuts to government spending and to the world for budgets about twenty five billion pounds in total which actually is almost the same as been spent in the war in afghanistan but in afghanistan itself the impact of the war has been disastrous as defense spending can be just after this is seventeen billion pounds

over and above the existing british defense but you even before the last thirty program it was clear that over seventy percent of. in britain wanted the war to be ended immediately or very very soon it's a completely unpopular war people in britain want to the troops out people in afghanistan also want the troops out and now we're being faced with these massive cuts on top of that people are really angry about the fact that the waters continue for the british people want this to try to destroy the horrible legacy of invasion and occupation which they've lived with for the last thirty years now already the defense secretary has said that parts of afghanistan won't be under government control and so that means a lot more questions from the british taxpayers about the eleven years spent fighting the war and the twenty billion pound price tag for it because these two to walk free from prison earlier than expected of moscow of course cut the jail term for the former tycoon of his business partner platon lebedev they've

been serving time for oil theft and money laundering not as you see careful not for court. the present terms for the two goons were reduced due to a change in russia's prison penal code sensually there's hundreds of thousands of russian businessmen are believed to be serving behind bars for various financial crimes as a result the russian government had decided to soften somewhat its penal code when it comes to those financial crimes of course this case is no ordinary one it's one of the most high profile cases in recent years in russia back in early two thousand the government had accused the two former yukos oil partners of tax evasion yukos was then the largest oil firm in the country it went bankrupt at the assets were taken over by ross snapped and this has prompted many in the west to. accuse the country of a politically motivated case these are charges that moscow of course denies now before the two men had finished serving their sentences in two thousand and ten a moscow court had given them fresh prison charges this time over accusations of

money laundering as well as the charge of stealing more than thirty billion u.s. dollars worth of oil despite this has become somewhat of a poster boy for the russian opposition which says that his continued imprisonment is evidence of the russian state's control over the judiciary despite all this of course that the thursday appeal hearing the court had ruled that the men will be able to walk free by two thousand and fourteen lebedeff will be able to go around august and is expected to be released by october the u.n. security council to bother with israel holds the occupied west bank and east jerusalem immediately to move to build housing in palestinian learn to see these illegal under international law israeli media are reporting that more than three thousand extra homes have been approved in addition to the several thousand given the go ahead earlier this month. israeli officials say that they're pressing on with plans to build six thousand new homes this defies criticism from

western powers who fear that the move will hamper an already famed hopes for peace deal between israelis and palestinians you'll remember that it was just last month after the the fact a recognition of palestinian serenity at the united nations that israel made its new announcement in terms of settlement building it said that it would expand settlements in the occupied west bank as well as in east jerusalem and at that time there was international and quiet the point needs to be made that israel continues to build in i said defiance of international law and as well as of united nations resolutions so many critics are pointing out that is also assertiveness with settlements is part of the reason why it's becoming increasingly isolated by its most now partners primarily in europe but that's not to say that washington is also not losing patience the united states has said that it is deeply disappointed by israeli construction plans in an unpredictably sharp reaction the obama

administration has softened the criticism of israel saying that these construction plans run counter to peace the point also needs to be made that next month generally israel will be holding parliamentary elections which is why many are suggesting that these a nonsmoker by the prime minister netanyahu are a means of trying to garner up domestic support as well as change the reality on the ground one of the options that myth and yahweh and like minded people. creating a situation well by the number of certainly will be such a significant one that eventually the solution will be more or less let us get to the sixty seven borders and let the settlers remain there under the palestinian state rather than evacuate them to new areas which will be next to israel most of the international community see the settlement construction by tel aviv as

illegal certainly the palestinians see it as a real obstacle to creating a viable capital in east jerusalem policy r.t. tel aviv in brief this thursday night from moscow syrian rebels claim they've made significant advances saying they've seized as many as six towns in the hummer region opposition forces also say they liberated a palestinian refugee camp damascus of the season on monday meanwhile the un has launched a huge humanitarian effort by announcing a one of the half billion dollar aid package for refugees suffering from the twenty one month conflict. egypt's top prosecutors are attracted monday's offer to resign as the country gears up for saturday's second round of voting on the controversial constitution there was public discontent after morsi sacked him freed assessor last month one of his first moves in fact after grabbing shelves sweeping powers justice minister will now decide prosecutors' fate the country's divided over that

constitution that opponents fairly document is rushed and will limit their rights by creating an islamist state. ah prosecutors in italy are demanding a one year prison sentence now for former prime minister silvio berlusconi the charges relate to his alleged role in the veiling transcripts of a private conversation in the newspaper owned by z d m by two thousand and five the discussion between a leading italian politician and a financial company president was illegally tapped apparently but discone denies those charges while his lawyers say the courts want to rush the verdict it will be a reason lections in which the seventy six year old is planning to run again for prime minister. but a mixed reaction of a time magazine decision to name barack obama person of the year for a second time the u.s. president gave the award for becoming what they called the symbol an architect of a new america but the editors enthusiasm for the u.s. leader isn't shared by all americans many remain unconvinced by his actions

including domestic matters such as gun control is going to teach you can. they're choosing president obama as the person of the year second time the first time they gave him the title right after the two thousand and eight election as to someone who had the most influence on global affairs although at that time he hadn't had the time to exercise all that influence but then president obama also received the nobel peace prize in two thousand and nine shortly after his election although i guess at that point he hadn't made much peace in the world the award was seen as much more of an advance credit than and knowledge meant of actual achievements on the peace fund later president obama went on to spend that credit sending more troops to afghanistan and carrying out regime change in libya under the arguable banner war for the sake of peace as far as his person of the year title critics argue president obama was time choice by default there shortlists this year also included the egyptian leader mohammed morsi and the pakistani girl malala yousafzai

who was shot by the taliban for advocating for women's education president obama may be the person of the year for the time magazine but for advocates of gun control in the u.s. he still has to earn that title to president obama had a news conference where he was asked why no meaningful action has been taken on gun control in the last four years of his presidency although one of his campaign pledges was a ban on assault weapons he basically said he had lots of other things to do including waging two wars and quote it's not like i've been on vacation he said those in the u.s. who suffered in numerous incidents of gun violence would probably not be satisfied with such an answer but the president pledged to finally take more active steps in the coming months he says the administration will come up with a more definitive proposal on gun control but people have heard those words before

and nothing happened and getting a semiautomatic weapon is not a problem in the u.s. adam lanza who killed twenty small children and. six adults at an elementary school last week fired from a semi-automatic bushmaster rifle it's a military style rifle a powerful weapon and its sales are on the rise in the u.s. in the last four years the market for such guns grew thirty percent commission genest on spoke to me says the actions and policies of the u.s. president speak louder than the words of time magazine and it is. time magazine's editors giving me giving him the award can only be you can only guess impute whatever motive a have to them in terms of what he's actually done we have to look at his policies in terms of workers getting jobs nothing in terms of giving people who are in foreclosure relief not much in terms of peace making he started more wars than george bush and so you know we have to look at his policy rather than what some magazine who may be going to the f.c.c.

or some other regulatory agency for relief for the many t.v. stations the time inc owns rather than that we need to look at his policies well go back to two thousand and eight when he was given supposedly because of the influence he had an international affairs and within four weeks of receiving that said he had no comment about israel's war on gaza that ended up killing fifteen hundred civilians it's pretty meaningless and the thing that's most revealing is they themselves pulled an electoral college over a popular vote scam when they said it's the editor's choice and not the people but the people voting for the president of north korea over the president the united states. don't bother no staying stateside you can still be detained and held without trial if you're a us citizen we're told about it online and i get a lot of clicks itself to washington lawmakers scrapped a controversial amendment to the national defense authorization act which would have protected the rights of american children want to read up more about that one also better late than never the you take the grease to one of the british veterans

of the arctic convoys they carry crucial supplies to russia. spain says it has legal grounds and the power to prevent catalonia of molding a referendum on breaking away the region's nationalist leaders agreed to form a new pro separatist government and hold a public vote on going it alone campaigner for european region independence told me catalonia is ready though to be a sovereign state. it does come from the determination of civil society from or from the citizens of course i don't know which from two thousand and nine two thousand and eleven shown david nations by outlaw organized popular referendum to hold the ballot to personally i like more than five hundred the v.p. why they both yes because i learned that allowed for a post if the scenario and allowed to cap debates about supplement nation and human

rights universal rights you know cuts alone i told her loud to explain to people about economical facts and about all the benefits that as an indefinite lonia they would better people so at this a scenario just created a verbalized open majority for indefinite and that it has been showing the last official recent polls and actually as well as the last elections was now in the parliament of pets and on the a we do have a majority of our members of the parliament which are four in that band and they are willing to call for the youth referendum. hoping to stay with us max and co a are not a right after the break. it's perched atop a judge rock and the view from the both problems stretches

a far as i can see up for a city that chilled all of siberia for centuries. it lost its economic importance even before it was bypassed by the chance i bear in railway but the cremains a spiritual center. things like these are a yearly occurrence thousands of also talks worshippers implicity water to commemorate the baptism of jesus. in the fifteen eighties the russians had only just conquered siberia taking it from the muslims. surrounded by enemies tobolsk was to be their stronghold constructed on top of the city but soon enough it became an economic siberian oil of its time bringing in

a third of all russia's state revenue put the ball scrimmage location head of the search for the russians the russian heiress the crowd who led a revolt against the czar and eight hundred twenty five known as the decembrists will stand here and drove there they created a replica high society adopting the latest fashions as soon as they came out or at least once they made it from paris to siberia but the city also serves up some bitter irony for the russian royal family after the bolshevik revolution this is the office where nicholas the second spend most of the last year of his life his whole family had been exiled hair. fairly comfortable existence this was a big house but they weren't allowed to see visitors or gartside themselves. ordinary normal countryside life style they even had those. but within the year and his family would be dead.